


Vervain

by randomwriter57



Series: Sormik Week 2017 [7]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Flirting, Herbalism, Herbalist and Fortune Teller AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 04:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: There’s never any other people in the forest, at dawn.That’s why he’s so surprised when he sees a cloaked figure, crouched in his usual clearing.





	Vervain

**Author's Note:**

> This one doesn’t really fit the ‘family’ prompt at all - I focused a lot more on ‘fate’. I hope you enjoy this little oneshot of mine!
> 
> Written for [Sormik Week 2017](http://sormikweek.tumblr.com), day seven - Camlann: Family/Fate.

Mikleo loves the forest at dawn. Even if he has to set off from his house in the pitch darkness, it’s worth it to see the golden sun slowly peek above the mountains to the east, for its light to reflect off the dewdrops, making them glisten. There’s something about the fresh scent of a new day which is invigorating.

At dawn, he has a chance of seeing wildlife, animals just awoken trying to find food for their young, or nocturnal creatures finding resting places. He can walk through the forest calmly, listening to the sound of birds singing and the river flowing and enjoying the calm, the quiet.

There’s never any other people in the forest, at dawn.

That’s why he’s so surprised when he sees a cloaked figure, crouched in his usual clearing.

Ducking behind a tree, Mikleo watches the figure. He holds his breath without thinking, though it’s unlikely the person would be able to hear him from such a distance. Not that the distance is very great - from where Mikleo stands on the cliffside path, it’s only a few metres through the trees into the clearing. If he wanted, he could whisper a greeting, and the person would likely hear him.

But Mikleo doesn’t want to be seen - that’s the exact opposite of what sounds like a good idea right now. If Mikleo’s ever picked anything up from those who have taught him, it’s that strangers are to be avoided, especially when there aren’t any other people around, and the stranger’s face is covered.

Usually, were his common sense working as it should be, he would leave and come back later. However, Mikleo’s always been stubborn. He didn’t come all this way, at the ample time for the herbs he seeks to be picked, only to see a stranger take them all before he can get his hands on them. After all, what could a lone traveller possibly need from these herbs?

(Unless he too is a herbalist, one from a different town. In which case, Mikleo definitely can’t let the traveller take them - he needs stock for his shop, too. Surely there are better harvesting locations closer to where this person is based.)

It’s as he thinks of stepping forward that the figure turns around to look in a book, which lies on the ground beside him. As the person does this, a soft breeze pushes his hood down, revealing a head of tousled brown hair and eyes of the most vibrant green. And whilst his face and hair do catch Mikleo’s eye, what surprises him more are the bright feathers attached to his ears.

He’s only ever seen one person with earrings like that before.

The scene is almost strikingly similar. They’d been in a forest at that time, too, except one closer to a set of ruins in the mountains. The boy had been gazing at part of the ruins, his bright eyes wide with awe. At that time too had Mikleo hidden behind a tree, having just been on his way into the ruins for his own exploration. Needless to say, though his curiosity had been piqued, he had not followed the stranger into the ruins.

In this moment, he could swear that this is the same boy as he saw back then.

Of course, many years have passed and they’re both in their teens, now. The stranger has grown into a handsome young man, with a soft yet defined jawline and an air of curiosity surrounding him. Mikleo can’t help but feel drawn in.

Which is all the more reason for him to leave.

He takes a step back, determined to leave and return later.

Except then a branch snaps under the weight of his foot.

The boy startles at the sound, but Mikleo doesn’t have time to worry about that. Not when he loses his footing, slipping on the narrow cliffside path, the edge of which crumbles beneath his feet.

He falls.

Before he can even scrunch his eyes shut in anticipation of the landing, something grabs his hand. He feels the warm calloused surface of another person’s hand. Opening his eyes, he is met with viridian.

“Phew, that was close!” the boy says, hanging over the edge of the cliff with his hand grasping Mikleo’s.

Mikleo can only stare, shocked by this sudden development. When he finally gets over it, he notices that he’s still hanging, weightless, over the edge. His shoulder pulses with a dull ache. “A little help, please?”

“Oh, right!” The boy pulls Mikleo upwards using both hands, helping him to sit on a more stable part of the path. Though one of his hands relinquishes Mikleo’s arm quickly, the boy’s other hand does not let go of his.

Not that Mikleo’s complaining.

“Are you alright?” the boy asks in a soft, lilting voice. He has a bit of an accent, one which Mikleo can’t place but is already quite fond of. “That was quite a drop. You’re lucky I made it in time.”

“I’m fine,” Mikleo says. After a moment he adds, somewhat begrudgingly, “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing! Anything for someone in need!” He smiles brightly, gleaming almost as much as the sunlit dewdrops.

Mikleo raises an eyebrow at his cheer, then looks down at their joined hands. As much as he likes the warmth of the boy’s hand over his own, he is beginning to wonder if he’s ever going to let go.

Just as he thinks this, the boy looks down and flinches, letting go of Mikleo’s hand. With pink dusted cheeks he hurries to change the subject. “So! What are you doing around here?”

“I should be asking you that,” Mikleo says in a much calmer tone. “I always come here at dawn to collect herbs, but I’ve never seen you here before.” Not since way back when, anyway, but he doesn’t mention that.

“Oh, I’m an apprentice in Ladylake. I came here to collect some herbs, in particular verbena, and any kind of briar if I can find it.” The boy looks back to the clearing, where his book lies. “Usually my teacher is the one who collects the herbs, but today she asked me to.”

“An apprentice? Are you a herbalist too?”

The boy grins wryly. “Nope! I’m an apprentice fortune teller.”

“A fortune teller? Really?” He certainly doesn’t look like the type of person who would believe in that kind of thing. Then again, maybe the feathered earrings should have tipped him off.

In any case, the boy nods. “My teacher does all kinds of pyromancy, but I specialise in a type of pyromancy where we burn certain herbs and interpret the flames and smoke. It’s called botanomancy.”

“You’re just going to burn these herbs?” Mikleo feels indignation burn in his throat. “They are useful tools for medicines, why would you waste them like that?”

The stranger actually looks a little bit put out at Mikleo’s words. “You say that as if telling people’s fortunes isn’t useful.”

“It isn’t. You can’t predict the future, you can only make guesses.” Or at least, that’s what Mikleo believes. He’s not a believer in the paranormal, because it goes against everything that makes sense in nature. Death is permanent and the future is unclear - nothing should be able to change that, not even a burning pile of herbs.

"I'm not so sure about that. Most people only know about the fake fortune tellers who scam people for money, but I've never seen any of Lailah's fortunes be wrong. Besides, wouldn't you want to know if something is going to happen so you can prepare for it?"

"So you're saying that preparing for future illnesses is more important than treating the ones which people currently have?"

The boy's eyes widen, affronted by Mikleo's accusation. "Of course not, I didn't mean to imply that-"

"If you know that medicine is important then you would do well to give up using them for that kind of nonsense."

For a moment, the boy's expression remains one of shock, but then his eyebrows furrow, giving him a more serious visage. "You say that as if there aren't plenty of herbs growing all over the place."

Even Mikleo has to admit that the boy has a point. It's not as if their world is currently in calamity - in fact, many crop harvests have been flourishing now more than ever. Medicinal herbs, whilst growing in demand, are also growing in availability.

When he doesn't respond, the boy's face softens into a smile. "Can I ask your name?"

He can barely bring himself to meet the boy's eyes, but he murmurs his name regardless.

"It's nice to meet you, Mikleo," the boy says. "I'm Sorey. Can I show you something?"

Mikleo doesn't know what it is - maybe hearing the name, soft and open and all too befitting; or maybe it's the look on his face, eyes filled with a hope he's neither seen nor felt in a while. Whatever it is, he finds himself nodding.

Sorey’s smile becomes a grin and he stands, offering a hand to Mikleo. When he takes it, Sorey leads him away from the path into the clearing, where his forgotten book lies with the herbs. Sorey sits them down beside it and picks up a sprig of verbena from a small pile.

Mikleo can already tell what Sorey is about to do. Why he doesn't stop him, he doesn't know - he only watches as Sorey brings out a small pocketknife and slowly, patiently carves letters into the stem. It’s actually a little impressive, seeing how precise he is with his movements, considering how small the stem of the verbena is. Eventually, he lifts his head, putting the knife to the side. He shows the verbena to Mikleo.

He peers at the branch, raising an eyebrow at the words.

_Will I see Mikleo again?_

Though Mikleo is thinking plenty about this bold choice of question, he remains quiet. He’d rather have his own choice in whether or not he’d like to see Sorey again (and he wouldn’t really _mind_ , even if the boy is a bit mad), but he also wants to see what Sorey interprets from this question.

Once he’s sure he’s seen it, Sorey grabs a large, flat stone from the edge of the herb garden, placing it in front of them with the verbena on top. Then and only then does he take out a matchstick to light the herb aflame.

The smell of fire soon pervades the atmosphere, though the herb itself is scentless. It’s a warm smell, a bit woody but most likely due to the burning matchstick. Sorey extinguishes the matchstick and sets it aside, then focuses his attention on the flames. Following his example, Mikleo does the same.

The fire spreads quickly across the stem, engulfing Sorey’s careful handiwork in burning red. It grows to an enormous height, almost over their heads, though luckily it does not waver in its path. Though Mikleo has always had an aversion to open flames, somehow he does not feel threatened by this one.

Perhaps Sorey’s presence at his side has something to do with this.

Of course, observing the flames means almost nothing to Mikleo. He doesn’t have the knowledge of how to interpret them. Instead he switches his gaze to Sorey, a little surprised to see that he is grinning at the fire, his eyes alight with life.

When Sorey catches Mikleo looking, his smile softens. “An unwavering fire means something is almost certain, and a tall flame generally means ‘yes’. The taller the flame, the greater the potential of your answer.”

“So? What does that mean for your question?” Mikleo finds himself smiling in an almost teasing manner, especially as Sorey looks down at his hands, his cheeks flushed pink.

(Whether that’s from the fire or something else, Mikleo can’t be sure. He kind of hopes it’s the latter.)

“It means we’ll definitely see each other again,” Sorey says. “Though I guess whether or not you want to see me again is a whole other story…”

Mikleo doesn’t immediately answer, trying to find the best way of responding to him. When he doesn’t, however, Sorey keeps talking.

“I honestly don’t believe divination is more important than medicinal needs,” he says, his eyes meeting Mikleo’s once more. “Herbs have been plentiful recently, so I’ve been able to specialise in this type of reading more easily now. Had they been more difficult to get, I obviously wouldn’t be doing this.”

Something about him makes Mikleo believe his words. Perhaps it’s the honesty in his unwavering gaze, his relaxed posture and earnest words. Perhaps it’s just that Mikleo wants to believe him.

“I understand,” Mikleo says. “But I’m still not convinced by your fortune telling.”

“What? Why?” Sorey’s face falls, looking like a kicked puppy. Mikleo actually feels a pang in his heart for causing it.

Still, he grins, hoping the expression will at least make Sorey see that he has hope. “I can’t read fire. Maybe you made that all up, just so you could see me again.”

Though Sorey’s cheeks grow a darker shade of pink, he shakes his head. “It was all true, I swear! Not that I don’t want an excuse to see you again, of course, but-”

Mikleo can’t help but laugh, seeing Sorey so nervous over something so small. This makes Sorey stop in his tracks, mouth and eyes agape.

“You could have just asked to see me again.” Mikleo’s laughter fades, though his smile does not. “I wouldn’t have said no.”

In only a moment, Sorey’s surprise turns into a bright smile, one filled with happiness and perhaps a hint of relief. He reaches forward and grasps Mikleo’s hand between his own.

“When can we meet again?” he asks.

Mikleo feels warmth reach his cheeks at Sorey’s touch, trying not to think too much into the action. “I’m here every morning, so if you’re nearby…”

“That’s perfect,” Sorey says. His thumbs absentmindedly stroke the back of Mikleo’s hands, sending his nerves alight. “I can’t wait.”

And, truth be told, neither can Mikleo.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me [@luzrofrulay](http://twitter.com/luzrofrulay) on twitter / [@luzrof-rulay](http://luzrof-rulay.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more Tales Of ramblings | [@randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more writing!


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